Sudden Parting
by Kappahime
Summary: Kunoichi meets a young woman during the aftermath of a battle. Just a short story showing the more tragic side to war. Rated T for a character death.


The village was in ruins; a horrible side effect of war and pillaging. The pink-clad ninja stepped over the ruins of what used to be a small merchant's stand, her arms behind her back as she examined the damage that latest battle had caused.

"Every time…" She sighed, adjusting her bright pink scarf around her neck. This was one of the things she hated about war. Why did there have to be so many casualties? Not even soldiers, but regular bystanders.

The young ninja continued walking. Herself and a few others had been ordered to look for any supplies that would come in handy for when they would march back to their territory.

_This is basically a graveyard… isn't that just a bit disrespectful? _Thought the girl bitterly, crouching down near a burned up home and searching through an open crate. There were a few bags of rice; she would have to alert the others of her find. As she was crouching, she could see a few other things strewn about— clothes, kitchenware… a few children's toys.

A chill ran down her spine.

She stood up and dusted herself off, before turning to leave. Behind her, she heard a cough, and a strained voice.

"Ichiro…? Is that you, my love?"

The voice was coming from inside. Glancing around, Kunoichi stepped into the shambled home and did a bit of looking around before finally finding who she was looking for. A young woman, a few years older than Kunoichi herself. She appeared to be very ill, judging by her pale skin and the rings around her eyes. Her chest heaved with each labored breath.

The frail looking woman coughed again, looking up at Kunoichi with a pained expression. She seemed disappointed.

"You are not him… Young miss, please tell me— outside… it's very quiet. Has the fighting… stopped?"

"… It's been over for quite a while." Kunoichi answered slowly. The woman was struggling to breathe. She was ill, there was no mistaking it.

"My husband… went out earlier… to get my medicine." She pressed a hand to her chest, wincing in pain. "Did you see a man outside…? What's it like out there?"

"Miss…" Kunoichi began, but wasn't sure what to even say. There were no signs of survivors outside. If her husband had gone out during this, there was no way he was…

"… I see. Your expression says it all." The woman closed her eyes, leaning back into her pillow. "I knew it."

"I'm… sorry…"

"Don't apologize." A weak smile spread over her face. "I am not long for this world anyway… My husband kept me safe in this room while the fighting was going on, you see. He went out to find medicine for my heart pains…"

Kunoichi watched as a tear fell from her eye, dampening her pristine white kimono. "I think the only thing keeping me in this world was the hope that my darling Ichiro would return." The sickly woman closed her eyes, her sad smile unfaltering. "Please, kind woman… tell me your name?"

"I go by Kunoichi… and you?"

"My parents blessed me with the name Natsuko. Please, Kunoichi. Sit with me until I leave this world. I have always feared dying alone."

With a small nod, Kunoichi moved close and took a seat on the small stool near the bed. There was a clay vase on the bedsit table, a bouquet of wilted and dried flowers housed in it.

"I should have known that no one else would be able to survive. I was just living off of false hope…"

"Natsuko… I _am _sorry." Kunoichi said earnestly, "But please, you don't have to die! I can take you back to the camp, where I stay, and they can treat you, and you'll get better—"

"Kunoichi… That isn't necessary." She opened her eyes halfway. "I know you mean well, but… I can't go on living without Ichiro. He was the only family I had left… And everyone else— my friends, everyone in the village… they don't exist anymore."

She watched Kunoichi's face as it twisted into a sorrowful expression. With that same content smile, Natsuko reached over and gently squeezed the ninja's hand.

"Even though we've only just met, I can tell you are a good person, Kunoichi. Do not let my passing weigh heavy on your kind heart."

And there was silence between them, the only sound in the room was Natsuko's slow breathing. After a few moments of this, the ill woman spoke again.

"I can see him… Ichiro is waiting for me." Her small smile widened, and Kunoichi watched her with tears in her eyes. "He's smiling— and mother and father are there, too."

"Go to them, Natsuko." Kunoichi whispered, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "They're waiting for you in a better world."

"Thank you, Kunoichi… for staying with me…" and with that, the young woman breathed her last breath, and her pained heart stopped beating.

Kunoichi stood up, and said a prayer for the peaceful woman, and pulled the blanket over her head. She would speak with the other soldiers about a proper burial, before leaving the village. It just wasn't fair... how many people had to suffer because of the war.

Perhaps… in a different time, they could have been friends.


End file.
